Mayor of Greater Manchester proposes radical NHS workforce scheme

Andy Burnham

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, is set to announce radical plans to retain more staff in Greater Manchester’s NHS.

Speaking at the Royal College of Nursing Congress in Liverpool on Saturday Mr Burnham announced plans for a 'Grow Our Own' scheme in Greater Manchester.

The scheme would support graduates in key NHS professions by helping to pay off their university fees in return for a commitment to work in Greater Manchester's NHS for an agreed period of time following their graduation.

Mr Burnham said: “These are tough times for nursing and new thinking is required if we are to break out of this downward spiral. In Greater Manchester we want to do things differently.

“I said in my campaign I want to give young people hope of a better future. I said I want to give our NHS stability. And I said that if Greater Manchester is to succeed in the future we need to do much more to retain our graduates, and fill the highly skilled jobs we need to improve services and grow our economy.

“So that’s why I am proposing a radical plan for the NHS workforce in Greater Manchester.

“Today I'm announcing plans to develop a new Greater Manchester ‘Grow Our Own’ Scheme.

“Specifically I have asked the NHS to explore the establishment of a scheme whereby graduates will receive help paying off their tuition fees in return for a commitment to work in Greater Manchester’s NHS for a set period of time after graduation.

“I want to propose a new deal for the young people of Greater Manchester - commit to work in our NHS and in return we’ll support you and we’ll back you.

“We’ll create new high quality routes into the NHS – be that traditional degrees, apprenticeships or ensuring strong technical and academic pathways for all jobs the NHS has to offer.

“Most importantly we'll restore the ambition that a career in the NHS is for everyone, not just those who can afford it. It’s ideas like this that will give young people hope. And hope is something that has been missing recently. Not just in our NHS, but in politics too.”